Stapling machine



Sept. 17, i940. L. B. cooK 2,214,953

' STAPLING MACHINE Filed Oct. 2. 1939 Inventor ymwrz/B C001 Patented Sept. 17, 1940 PATENT OFFICE STAPLING- MACHINE Lyman B. Cook, Riverton, N. J., assignor to Acme Staple Company, Camden, N. J., a corporation of New Jersey Application October 2, 1939, Serial No. 297,493

2 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in stapling machines for operation upon staples each of which has two spaced legs whose upper ends are connected by a rounded crown portion,

presenting an arcuate, convex upper surface for engagement by the staple driver.

In machines of this character, difficulty has,

been experienced in producing a uniform driving operation on the two legs of the staple; due to the uneven resistance to penetration offered to the respective staple legs by the material into or through which the staple legs are driven, and due to the uneven resistance of the staple clenching anvil to the staple legs when an anvil is employed to clench the staple legs, and due to irregularities in thestaple legs which cause one leg to engage the work or the anvil or both in advance of the other.

Such uneven resistance has caused the convex upper surface of the staple crown to slide against the opposing surface of the staple driver, in contact therewith, in a direction toward the staple leg having the least resistance opposing the action of the driver, with the result that the staple leg'having such least resistance is driven much farther than the other leg into or through the material which receives it, while the staple leg having the greater resistance opposing the action of the driver is driven into or through'such material to a lesser extent or is not driven into the material atall. These uneven operations produce much defective work, and, in many instances the work is worthless.

The present invention aims to overcome the 5 aforesaid difficulty by the provision of a means for driving the staple legs uniformly into or through the material which receives them, irrespective of variations in the resistance opposing the driving of the respective staple legs; and, to this end, the invention resides in the elements and the combinations of them hereinafter described and claimed.

' In the accompanying drawing, illustrating the invention,

Figure 1 is a side view, partly in section, and partly broken away, of a stapling machine illustrating the invention.

Figure 2 is a front view of the parts of the "'50 machine shown. in Fig. 1, partly in section.

Figure 31s. a diagrammatic View, enlarged, showing the relation of the staple driver, the staple and the work at one stage of the staple driving operation.

55 Figure 4 is a view similar to Fig. 3, showing the relation of the same parts at the completion of a staple driving operation.

Referring to the drawing, 2 designates a portion of the main or stationary frame of the machine, which may be of any suitable shape for its '5 intended purpose.

The stationary frame 2 is provided with an upwardly extending projection 4 to which is pivoted, at 5, the rearward portion of a movable frame 6 which extends above the pivot 5 and forwardly 10 therefrom.

One side of the movable frame 6 is grooved and constitutes a magazine 1, for the reception of a row of staples 8 which embraces a rib 9 for guiding and directing the staples. The rib 9 extends 15 longitudinally within the magazine, and it rises fixedly from the floor thereof. The staples 8 are guided by the rib 9 and they are moved forwardly thereon into a staple guiding channel l0 which extends upwardly and downwardly transversely 20 to the rib 9 and receives the staples successively from the rib and guides them during the staple driving operations. The guiding channel Ill is formed by the forward end wall of the rib 9 and by two blocks II and i2 which are suitably se- 25 cured within an opening in the movable frame 6 back of a front plate l3 which is secured to the frame 6 by screws I4.

. The lower portions of the blocks H and I2 extend downwardly from the forward end of the 30 frame 6; and the guiding channel l0 extends completely through the blocks II and i2. The lower or discharge end of the channel 10 is open and it is located above a staple clenching anvil l5 which is mounted on the stationary frame 6; '35 and which is provided with suitable staple leg clenching grooves for receiving the staple legs and deflecting them outwardly and upwardly.

The row of staples 8 is fed forwardly on the v guiding rib 9 toward and against the front wall 40 I2 of the channel [0 by a follower I6 which embraces and is slidably fitted to the rib 9, and which is urged forwardly by a suitable spring I! inthe usual manner to urge the row of staples toward and against the channel wall l2. The space be 45 tween the front endof the rib 9 and the wall 12 is equal to or slightly in excess of the thickness of one staple to cause the staples to enter the channel and to permit them to be driven downwardly therethrough, one at a time.

The lower portion of a staple-driving plate It is fitted to slide within the channel Ill toward and from the staple clenching anvil [5. The

'upper portion of the-staple driver is secured to the lower portion of a bar I9 which is fitted to slide within the frame 6.

The bar I9 is pivotally connected to the forward end of a lever 26 which is fulcrumed on the frame 6, at 2|, and which is pivotally connected to the upper end of an'operating bar 22. The forward end of the lever 26 is bifurcated and it embraces the bar l9 and is pivotally connected thereto by means of a pin 23 which extends through a slot or opening in the bar l9 and through slots or openings in the frame 6.

The lever 26 is raised relatively to the frame 6 to raise the bar l9 and staple driver l3 within the channel H] by a spring 24 which is interposed between the frame 6 and level 26.

The machine is operated by lowering and raising the operating bar 22 which may be done in any suitable manner and by any suitable means. During the initial downward movement of the bar 22 it moves the frame 6 and lever 20 as a unit until the frame 6 engages a stop screw 32 on the main frame 2, whereupon the continued downward movement of the bar 22 moves the lever 20 downwardly with relation to the frame 6 for the staple driving operation.

Each staple 8 comprises two legs 25 and a rounded crown 26, substantially semi-circular in form connecting the upper ends of the legs and presenting an arcuate, convex upper surface 21 to be engaged by the staple driving plate l8.

The lower end of the staple driving plate has a rounded or concave bottom surface 28 whose contour may be like or approximate to the contour of the convex upper surface 21 of the staple crown 26 directly beneath the surface 23 for engagement therewith; and the staple driving plate I8 is provided with two downwardly projecting teeth 29 which are located at the respective sides of the plate l8 and which are provided with corners or sharp bottom edges for engagement with the sides of the staple crown 26 beneath them.

The bottom surface 26 and the teeth 29 of the staple driver l8 are related to each other and to the convex upper surface 21 of the staple crown 26, so that the teeth 29 will engage the staple crown 26 in advance of the engagement of the surface 28 with the crown 26, during the downward movement of the driver Hi to drive and set the staple. This operation causes the sharp edges of the teeth 29 to indent the staple crown 26 slightly, at the beginning of the downward movement of the staple, and to further indent the staple crown and cause the central portion of the staple crown to bulge upwardly and its convex upper surface 21 to come into contact with the concave bottom surface 28 of the staple driver l8, as the staple driving operation proceeds and the staple encounters and is opposed by the work being acted upon.

After the central portion of the staple crown 26 engages the surface 28 of the staple driver l8, the staple is driven by the teeth 29 and the surface 28 of the staple driver, with relation to the work and other elements opposing the movement of the staple, without further deformation of the staple crown and without objectionably indenting the staple by the teeth 29.

The indentation of the staple crown 26 by the teeth 29 of the driver l8 prevents the staple crown from sliding in contact with the driver in a direction toward one or the other of the staple legs 25, during the staple driving and setting operation, and thereby ensures the driving of the two legs of the staple with uniformity and accuracy, irrespective of any uneven oppo-.

sition of the work being stapled to any part or parts of the staple being applied thereto.

The invention may be used for many classes In Figs. 3 and 4 of the drawing, I haveshown the work which receives the staple, in the form of a card 30 and an article of merchandise 3| which is cylindrical in cross section and which is attached to or mounted on the card 30 by means of the staple.

In using the invention to provide the means for mounting the article 3| on the card 30, the card is placed upon the anvil l5 and the article is placed upon the card in position to be received within a suitable opening 33 in the blocks H and I2 which form the staple guiding channel ID. The operating bar 22 is then moved downwardly to lower the lever 20 and the movable frame 6 as a unit until the bottom of the blocks II and I2 reach the top of the card 36, and

the frame 6 engages the stop screw 32, and the article 3| is received within the opening 30 whose opposite side walls properly position the article between the paths of the two staple legs 25. After the downward movement of the movable frame 6 is stopped by the stop screw 32, the continued downward movement of the operating bar 22 operates the lever 20 and bar H! to move the staple driver l8 downwardly with relation to the frame 6 and cause the staple driven thereby to embrace the article 3|, and to cause the lower portions of the staple legs 25 to be forced through the card 30 and to be clenched against the bottom of the card 30 by the anvil I5, and thereby attach the article 3| to the card 30 by means of the staple. This done, the operating bar 22 and therewith the movable frame 6 are raised to release the card 30 and article 3| and to be set in position for a similar succeeding operation.

It will be observed that the teeth 29 of the staple driver l8 engage the respective sides of the staple crown 26 in positions close to positions directly over the staple legs 25. These positions of engagement of the teeth prevent the driving force of the teeth from bending the central portion of the staple crown 26 downwardly, by causing the driving force of the teeth to be exerted almost directly over the staple legs.

I claim:

1. In a staple driving machine, the combination of a frame having staple guiding means for receiving staples each having two legs and a rounded crown connecting the legs and presenting an arcuate convex upper surface, a staple driver above the staple and operable to drive the same through said guiding means, said driv er having a sharp tooth above the staple crown and directly over the space between the staple legs and constructed to engage the staple crown when the driver is moved downwardly, said driver having a staple driving surface constructed to engage a part of the upper surface of the staple crown away from the region of the engagement of said tooth with the staple crown when the driver is moved downwardly; the space between said tooth and the part of the staple'crown directly beneath it being less than the space be- 75 tween said staple driving surface and the part of the staple crown directly beneath it; whereby, when the driver is moved downwardly, the staple will be driven by the engagement of said tooth and said driving surface with the staple crown, and said tooth will engage and indent the staple crown in advance of the engagement of said driving surface with the staple crown, during the staple driving operation.

2. In a staple driving machine, the combination of a frame having staple guiding means for receiving staples each having two legs and a rounded crown connecting the legs and presenting an arcuate convex upper surface, a staple driver above the staple and operable to drive the same through said guiding means, said driver having two sharp teeth above the staple crown and directly over the space between the staple legs and constructed to engage the staple crown when the driver is moved downwardly, said driver having a staple driving surface between and spaced from said teeth and constructed to engage a part of the upper surface of the staple crown when the driver is moved downwardly, and the space between said teeth and the parts of the staple crown directly beneath them being less than the space between said staple driving surface and the part of the staple crown directly beneath it; whereby, when the driver is moved downwardly, the staple will be driven by the engagement of said teeth and said driving surface with the staple crown, and said teeth will engage and indent the staple crown in advance of the engagement of said driving surface with the staple crown, during the staple driving operation.

LYMAN B. COOK. 

